Holly Cochran

Illustration BDes (Hons)

I like to use illustration as a tool to evoke feelings of nostalgia, creating colourful and dreamy prints which tap into where my passion for drawing began.

About

profile photo of Holly Cochran

As an illustrator, my work is often inspired by personal experience and interests. This year I have been delving back into the nostalgia I have for my childhood interests and creating prints in response to this. My work is a combination of my drawings, film photography, text and scanned objects. It is primarily risograph printed, a skill I’ve developed throughout my fourth year. I love creating images built of many layered elements as I feel it helps me to capture complex emotions and tell a story through my work. 
On the whole my illustration is about having fun - using the colours, techniques and themes which motivate me to keep creating.

Girlhood

A scan of an open book, printed in pink. A pointillism study of 3 female figures is printed in black over the book.

This recent work explores the theme of ‘Girlhood’, within it I aimed to create imagery drawing on the collective experience of growing up female. A girl’s teenage years are a turbulent time where both your body, and the way the world perceives you, is changing. I wanted to capture the feelings I associate with my own girlhood, as well as drawing on literature and the experience of those around me.

Dreamscapes

The central image is a pink swan with a looped neck, it has cherries in its beak and a yellow bow round its neck. Within the left side of the piece there is a yellow box with a blue hand inside and details around the box edge. The image has a blue border with a pink and green floral pattern.

In this personal project I aimed to create a sense of nostalgia, creating illustrations my childhood self would’ve loved. These ethereal compositions allowed me to experiment with saturated colours and develop my skills in risograph printing.

DJCAD x V&A

The photograph shows a ceramic white and pink candleholder with black details painted on it. It resembles a moth, with legs for the candles on each side. To the right of the candleholder is a green spider plant in a light blue pot. The objects are on a black background.

In this project I created both a printed and physical piece in response to the brief. This ceramic candleholder has been influenced by Geoffrey Mann’s ‘Attracted to Light’ lamp, within the V&A Dundee design galleries.

I post my work most frequently on Instagram, this is where you can find my works in progress and finished pieces. I also take commission work and sell prints of my pieces, just send me a message or email to find out more.

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